I have a couple of notes about this latest episode.

First of all, what does it say about G4 and G5 that they introduced them together? I think they were worthy of separate introductions. OTOH, this means that in the last ep we'll actually see the entire team in the opening credits.

Next, is this supposed to pass for a panty shot?



And just something for fun... what's wrong with this picture?

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Haha...I see it, too! Should I wait and see is everyone else notices?

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There is no problem that cannot be solved with time, patience, and a judicious amount of high explosives.

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Hi all!

For those who missed any of the Gatchapin episodes that were available this week, all five episodes are now available for viewing over the
weekend.

They can be found at:

http://www.fujitvkidsclub.jp/webchannel/index.html

The member ID and password you'll need to view it is:

Member ID Number: 15023448
Password: gatchapin

Enjoy! And don't forget, come Monday at around this same time, the first episodes of the next Gatchapin series will be up!

James

Hi all!

Episode #1 of "Science Ninja Team Gatchapin" is now online. Today's episode is "Aiming For Asakusa's Specialty * The Coming Thunder!"

This episode is the start of the fourth Gatchapin story. These episodes first began airing on April 7, 2008, almost 4 months after the last episode of the earlier "Science Ninja Team Gatchapin" series first aired. The 10 episodes of that series had aired repeatedly during that time, so I'm sure viewers were happy to finally see something new. I have no idea why they decided to use the same name for the series as the previous incarnation, since it does make it difficult to easily differentiating the two series.

This series returned to the life action format of the original "Go Go! Gatchapin" series, though now in a longer 12-minute format. In this series, Gatchapin and Dr. Mukkun have set themselves up in the Gatchapin Secret Base inside the offices of the Hanayashiki amusement park in the city of Asakusa (This event took place in a pair of special videos that were included as bonuses on the DVD of the first 20 episodes of "Go Go! Gatchapin," which was released to coincide with the start of this series). Just then, the city of Asakusa finds inself plagued by a series of mysterious incidents that are all caused by the Mystery Men sent out by Emperor Boyoyon, the leader of the evil group Azakusa.

The stories themselves are very formulaic. They open with Gatchapin on patrol in Asakusa, where he has a "humorous" encounter with some teenagers (Like in this episode, where Gatchapin is confused by the girls wearing both skirts and pants), followed by the opening credits. We then move to the Gatchapin Secret Base, where poor office workers try to get their jobs done as Gatchapin and Dr. Mukkun talk (Usually about how Gatchapin isn't doing work around the Secret Base). Then, an alarm gong sounds that indicates that another incident has occurred. Dr. Mukkun pushes a button on his computer, and they see a video of newscaster Crisahel Takigawa, who gives them the details of what has happened.

These events are always pretty minor stuff (Like in this episode, where Boyoyon's Mystery Man is breaking all of the rice cakes around town into pieces), showing that the residents of Asakusa are apparently thrown into a panic quite easily. Gatchapin rushes to the scene to investigate, where he encounters the latest Mystery Man at work. These Mystery Men are all played by various Japanese comedians, and often use variations of their usual comedy routines while in their Mystery Man roles. Despite his best efforts, Gatchapin is unable to stop his foe.

Following what would have been a commercial break, Dr. Mukkun calls on the science specialist Dr. Mikio Sato for help. Dr. Sato then creates some new weapon for Gatchapin to use. These weapons are all simple items that, following the on-screen instructions and with some parental supervision, young viewers can make at home.

Dr. Sato somehow sends his creations to Dr. Mukkun through a microwave oven, and Dr. Mukkun gives it to Gatchapin. Gatchapin then uses the weapon against the Mystery Man. Soundly defeated, the Mystery Man runs away (Proving that good help is hard to find, considering how easily these guys give up). Gatchapin rejoices in his victory, and sometimes shares a joke with the same comedian who played the Mystery Man, now portraying a civilian who is working for the good of Asakusa. Everyone is happy, and the GatchaRAP ending theme song plays (With several lyrics that change daily to reflect the events of the episode).

It's all silly, but fun to watch.

Todays episode can be found at:

http://www.fujitvkidsclub.jp/webchannel/index.html

The member ID and password you'll need to view it is:

Member ID Number: 15023448
Password: gatchapin

Today Gatchapin faces off against the Mystery Man Rice Cake Destroyer!

Enjoy!

James

Hi all!

I had thought the same thing about the whole teenager deal. Either Gatchapin is into fashion, or he's a true pervert. Either way it was funny as heck.

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" No gratitude needs to be voiced, your mind speaks to us!"


Racer by day, Feather Thrower all the time!

Oh no! The tempura fish is missing! Whatever shall we do?????

Those poor girls... I'm waiting for them to report Gatchapin as a stalker...

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One other question, although I'm sure I'm going to get some incredibly obvious answer...

Why is it called 'Science Ninja Team Gatchapin' (and Gatchapin refers to himself as such) when there's just G1? Is it too much to hope that the other members show up? And that they're a little more intelligent than Gatchapin?

At least, my kids learned today why I keep them away from boiling oil and frying bacon!

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Hi all!